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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Jesus is God

THE BIBLE PROCLAIMS:

JESUS IS GOD

Jews crucified him for blasphemy. ‘Being a man you make yourself God’ (Jn.10:33) was his crime. But the Church he established boldly proclaimed he is the Living God. Thousands of them became martyrs just for that cause. Roman Caesars and Neros worked hard to kill his Church, but Rome became its capital. Now new ‘churches’ have re-emerged here with old dreams. Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) spends millions in T.V. shows to propagate ‘Jesus is not God. He is only a man. The Church he established is dead. The Catholic Church is an apostasied Church.’ They try their best to prove it from the Bible! All tricks are used to confuse Catholics. Hundreds of them are already trapped in their propaganda. Many are wounded and pained because of harsh criticisms against the Catholic faith. What is the truth? What does the Bible really say about Jesus?

In John 8:40 (“Now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God”) is the Bible passage that is used by non-Catholic brothers to throw Jesus out of his divine nature. But in the same paragraph, there is a clear statement of Jesus about his divine and human natures. We can never deny the human nature of Jesus, but he is not ‘only man’. The Bible reveals him as ‘Man of God’. 30 times the Bible describes Jesus as ‘The Son of Man,’ but 30 times also it says Jesus is ‘The Son of God.’ He is the ‘Word that became Flesh.’ St. John starts his gospel with that solemn proclamation.

John 1:1-3 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. He made all things; and without Him was not any thing made that was made….and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Old Testament prophets foretold this mystery of the incarnation.

The Old Testament prophesied Jesus is God!

Matthew 1:23 states: “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means, God with us.” The scripture makes it clear that God has a Son when it asks in Prov. 30:4 (‘Who knows the name of God and the name of His Son!’)

Isaiah 9:6 clarifies the divine nature of that Son in his great prophecy about the birth of Jesus (“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”).

Jesus claimed he is God

Those who deny the divine nature of Jesus always try to propagate that Jesus never taught he is God. That argument is unbiblical as there are clear evidences in the Bible that Jesus Himself claimed his divinity.

In Exodus 3:14-17, God reveals His name to Moses as “I AM who am.” God even commanded Moses to say to the Israelites “I AM sent me to you… This is my name forever. This is my title forever.” In the New Testament Jesus is using the title of God for himself.

John 8:57-59 states: “Then the Jews said to him, ‘you are not yet fifty-years-old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them: ‘Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ Then they took up stones to throw at him.” He even insisted to the Jews to believe that he is “I AM.” In Jn.8:24, Jesus says to the Jews: “If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”

The Jews tried to stone him because he claimed his eternal existence, which is blasphemy. Only God exists eternally. In another occasion, Jesus instructed His apostles to believe that he is I AM (Jn.13:19): “You may believe that I AM.”

John 5:17-26 states: ”Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God is his father, making himself equal with God.” But Jesus strongly defended his divine nature saying he is the master of life, which only God can claim, “For as the father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will.” Jesus answered Philip: “I have been with you for a long time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn.14:9)

John 10:28-39, Jesus solemnly proclaimed before the Jews: “My father and I are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him, saying: “For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy, because that thou, being a man, make thyself God!” Jesus answered them; “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works: that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hands.”

When Satan tempted Jesus, he said to Satan: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” (Mat.4:7)

The Old Testament revealed God as First and the Last. “Thus says the LORD the King Of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the First and I am the Last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6) But the New Testament says that God, who is ‘The First and The Last,’ is Jesus; “And he (Jesus) said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him who is thirsty the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Rev. 21:6-7)